“I never really paid attention to the other man (in the photo), white, like me, motionless on the second step of the medal podium,” Gazzaniga writes in tribute to Norman.

“I considered him a random presence, an extra in Carlos and Smith’s moment, or a kind of intruder.”

“Today I discovered the truth: that white man in the photo is, perhaps, the biggest hero of that night in 1968.”

Speaking from Melbourne, Norman’s nephew Matt Norman told 9 Stories he had been fielding calls from all over the world about his uncle since the story starting going viral on Facebook.

“It’s been crazy, I’ve been getting calls all day,” he said.

Back in 2008, Mr Norman produced an award-winning documentary on his uncle’s story, Salute.

Coincidentally, he said he had just recently begun talks with Hollywood agents after several studios expressed interest in producing a drama feature film on the pivotal event in civil rights history.

“It’s called 1968 and we’re looking at really big people. It’s going to be a high-budget film. We’re going for the Oscars on this one.”

Mr Norman said his uncle was one of Australia’s forgotten heroes.

“For Tommy and John, their whole life has been about standing up for human rights. Whereas Peter has always been the one that has been forgotten,” he said.

“It’s a really brave thing what Tommy and John did and they lost a lot for what they did.”

“But I think people missed a really crucial element to the story and that was that a white Australian stood up for black rights in a time when it wasn’t cool to do that.”

After the medal ceremony Smith and Carlos were sent home in disgrace and barred from competing again.

Heading back to Australia during the White Australia Policy and at a time when Aboriginals had only just reluctantly been granted the right to vote, Norman was shunned by the athletics community and publicly censured by officials.

Despite qualifying 15 times for the next Olympics in 1972, in both the 100m and 200m, Norman was banned from taking part.

“He would have taken gold on the times that he was running but he wasn’t invited because of his supposed bad behaviour,” Mr Norman said.

But amid all his mistreatment, Mr Norman said his uncle refused to criticise the Australian officials.

“Here is the funny thing, he had no animosity that he wasn’t selected,” Mr Norman said.

“I am really angry about it. If it was me I don’t know if I could be so humble about it.

“He just said, 'you know what if I’m not selected that’s fine, I’ll go and play football.'”

“He did not have a bad word to say about anyone.”

Norman continued to be shunned by the Australian Olympic Committee as late as 2000 when he was not invited to play any part in the Sydney Olympics.

If he had competed in the Sydney Olympics he would have won the gold medal.

Mr Norman said he believed part of the reason his uncle never got the recognition he deserved was because he refused to speak out.

“He never really pushed his involvement,” Mr Norman said.

“He always glorified Tommy and John because he believed they deserved it, even though he was the one who was penalised as well.”

“He just thought he was a mute part of that story, but in actual fact he was a national hero. It’s just that the Australian Olympic committee didn’t necessarily think so.”

In 2012, an apology to Norman, spearheaded by Canberra Labor MP Andrew Leigh, was read in Federal Parliament six years after his death.

Mr Norman said he and his family would love to see a statue of Norman erected near the MCG where he used to train.

“We should be standing proud that a white Australian was involved in one of the biggest civil rights movements in history and yet he has not been recognised for his sporting achievements or his stance on civil and human rights,” Mr Norman said.